


Sensory Memory

by Monisse



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23050732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monisse/pseuds/Monisse
Summary: Alex seems to carry something of Jo around, for everyone to know, even when they are apart.Sometime between 14x02 and 14x03.
Relationships: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev
Kudos: 24





	Sensory Memory

The sun was not yet out, but the pale-yellow glow of dawn projected shadows within the loft. Alex felt familiar skin, warm and smooth, move slowly against him and for a brief second did not dare to open his eyes, fearing it might be another dream. The feeling seemed new after many months of sleeping alone, but at the same time it was a familiar sensation that could never be erased from his memory. All those lonely nights had been unbearable, frequently dreaming about her only to have those images vanish with the morning light. And the days were even worse, for there she was real but permanently out of reach. But now, with his chest pressed against her bare back, the lonely memories seemed to vanish, and only the simple pleasure of being together remained. He opened his eyes to be greeted by soft curls of hair. Alex had missed everything about her, like a throbbing ache in his chest that refused to subside.

Jo was not awake; her breathing had a regular cadence and her heartbeat was steady. He smiled to himself and relished in the opportunity to observe her. She was slightly turned away from him, but Alex could see that the wrinkle she often had between the eyes was smoothed, her eyelashes brushed against her high cheeks and the small freckles on the bridge of her nose seemed to glow in the dim light of the room. But what surprised him the most was the small smile on her lips. He knew Jo had trouble sleeping ever since he left, but now she seemed at ease. He could certainly appreciate that she finally felt entirely safe to let her guard down, even unconsciously. That kind of peace made him feel at ease as well, for he too had slept peacefully and sated, albeit for what felt like only a couple of hours.

Alex kissed her shoulder tenderly, letting his lips linger against the skin. All the while her scent enveloped him, producing shock waves of pleasure through his body, despite the lingering exhaustion. 

With the arm that was wrapped around her waist he instinctively pulled her closer and his hand slowly slid from her chest, all the way down the stomach and between her legs. Jo moaned something akin to his name under her breath, but otherwise remained still. He chuckled, moving closer, and in that moment a set of red numbers glowed angrily in his peripheral vision. With a muffled groan Alex noticed that there were only a few minutes left before he had to leave. Now that he was finally there, it was getting increasingly difficult to leave their bed. Her bed, Alex corrected himself silently. Only a few days had passed since they got back together, and he still did not know where he stood in the ownership of said bed.

The numbers were relentless on the alarm clock. Sighing in defeat, Alex made slow and precise movements to pull his left arm from underneath her head and disentangle his body from hers without disturbance. But as soon as he did so, Jo rolled fully towards him, with heavy eyelids, and seeking his warmth once more.

“Where are you going so soon?” She asked with a raspy voice. 

“I have an early surgery, remember? And I still need to grab my bag at the house.” He whispered tenderly while watching her trying to bury her face in the space between his neck and shoulder, making it harder for him to leave. “I’ll see you later, ok?”

“Hmhmm” Was the most eloquent response Jo could produce that early.

Fighting bravely against sleep, she faintly registered him placing a tender kiss on her forehead and leaving the bed to make his way towards the bathroom. Jo watched him leave, his muscles flexing beneath bare skin with every movement. Sighing happily, she turned around and went back to sleep, lulled by the scent that Alex had left among the sheets.

He turned the shower on and absently minded reached for his shower gel in the shelf only to find empty space. There was pain in his chest when he remembered that none of his personal effects were there anymore. Still, Alex noticed that her bottles had stayed strictly in one side of the shelf, not occupying the side he left empty months ago, as if somehow, she still reserved that space for him. With a sad sigh, he reached for one of her shower gels and squeezed some of the red liquid into his hand. He looked one last time towards the empty shelf space and hoped to soon enough fill the spaces he had left empty around the loft.

\--"--"--

Alex opened the door to the house carefully and silently walked towards the kitchen. It was imperative that no sound was made to wake the other residents of the house or a storm of questions would assault him, and he rather keep his whereabouts private for the moment. He reached for a mug and filled it with much needed coffee. A sudden yawn morphed into a grin as he remembered the night before and the cause of the unrestrained yawns. With eyes closed, he relieved her touch, which he still felt, while sipping the bitter drink. The moment stretched languidly in time until a voice interrupted the peaceful thoughts and nearly made him spit the coffee.

“You’re up early.” Meredith said with a sleep laced voice while entering the kitchen.

“Yeah.” He said sharply, resuming drinking the coffee.

There was silence for a moment, but Alex knew it would not last long before Meredith would start bombarding him with some sort of personal affliction, and he took the opportunity to race out of the kitchen mumbling an excuse.

“What is this smell?” She asked.

The question made him stop on the spot. Alex heard her inhale sharply repeatedly as she moved towards him and practically shoved her nose in his chest.

“Oh, it’s you! Why do you smell like wild berries?” There was a wrinkle of confusion between her eyes as she continued to sniffle him.

“What? Stop doing that!” He said grumpily and moved away from her prying nose.

“What have you been doing, Alex?” She said, still invading his personal space and looking at him with curious blue eyes.

“I showered!” He mumbled quickly and once more attempted to reach the stairs only to be stopped by her walking closer to him again. 

An inelegant snort escaped her lips. “Not here for sure. I didn’t hear any of the showers running this morning.”

When he did not answer and only grumbled loudly, she persisted.

“But I know that scent from somewhere…” The words lost their initial rhythm midway through the sentence as she tried to understand what her senses were telling her.

Tired of the conversation already, Alex looked directly at her and suggestively wiggled his eyebrows before walking triumphantly upstairs to grab the bag before going to work. He left behind a very confused Meredith standing in the middle of the living room, searching her brain for an answer that seemed out of her grasp.

A few seconds later he heard her gasp loudly, apparently having reached a conclusion to her own question. He could hear her yelling for him to return and explain himself, which only made him walk faster towards his current bedroom. Alex moved an arm towards his face, inhaled deeply, and a lopsided grin formed in his lips. He smelled just like Jo.


End file.
